Clearer skies in New Zealand.

I am pushing myself harder than I imagined! Working internationally. I am just beginning this new part of my life. Wondering... a few things about work. Again- the last job I had was as a bilingual social worker for the Spanish-speaking immigrant population in Tacoma, WA. Since going to Canada and volunteering at a yoga center- where I worked in the garden and maintaining the grounds- I've developed a different work ethic. Which I am not so sure fits into the same work ethic as is expected of me at the warehouse, where I am currently working. * More about this new "work ethic" later...

The schedule at the packhouse during the day is 7:30 a.m. start, no pee/poop breaks until your manager agrees to let you go, 10:30 tea break, 1/2 lunch, 3:00 tea break, and 5:00 p.m. end of shift and night shift begins. But as Grandma says, "if nature calls....well. you gotta go!" It's been hard letting someone else dictate when you can release your bowel movements. Working "on the line" next to a conveyer belt of endless kiwis....is why I am not allowed to leave and take care of buiseness. I began there after 2 weeks of picking kiwi fruit because I needed to keep working in order to finance the next part of my journey. I am basically working in a warehouse 8 hours a day 6 days a week, and I will be resigning soon.

While there is quite an international community represented at the packhouse- warehouse, there is still a stream of discontent. It's been a long kiwi season and people are tired of the work- especially the extra work that the kiwis that have been damaged by hail have created.... Needless to say, the tea breaks do not help the over-all feelin and attitude that work sucks and the question "when is it time to go home?" begins at about 8:00 a.m. Hmmmm.... the conclusion I've come to are that no body wants to be there, not even if you are being paid a bit above minumum wage to carefully package kiwi fruit and are given free tea (2x ) a day- sometimes even muffins!

I got home today after a 40 min. bike (I commute to/from work every day on a busy road so it's not that pleasureable of a ride). And the moon was bright and the sky was clear. I stood on the porch looked up at the moon and realized to let the small insignificances of life.

New Zealandars have a strange way of communicating. They like to talk simply for the sake of conversation. You don't have to say much really... So there has been a lot of small talk, and "2o" questions-type conversations. I don't feel I've made any real connections, but... we shall see. I did go on an adventure with a few ladies from Te Puke and Papamoa who enjoy mtn. bike riding at night! We rode with our headlamps through a redwood forest where opposums scamper up the trees and dart through the monkey ferns. Louise, who's in her late 40's despisizes them and quite freaked out. Luckily we only heard the opposums once- no sighting yet!

The moon is still shining brightly.